UNPRECEDENTED REGULATORY ADVANTAGES FOR REBUILDING

As a buyer of a property affected by the recent Malibu fires, you’ll inherit extraordinary development advantages through California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-4-25, signed January 12, 2025. These benefits significantly streamline the typically complex and time-consuming development process in Malibu’s coastal zone:

1. CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) EXEMPTION

• Complete exemption from CEQA review requirements (Division 13 of the Public Resources Code)
• Eliminates environmental impact reports and studies that typically take 6-12 months
• Removes potential for CEQA-based legal challenges that often delay projects
• Saves approximately $50,000-$150,000 in environmental consulting fees

2. COASTAL PERMIT FAST-TRACK

• Suspension of standard California Coastal Act permitting requirements
• Bypasses the notoriously difficult Coastal Commission approval process
• Eliminates public hearings and lengthy staff reviews
• Reduces coastal permitting timeline from 4-8 months to effectively zero

3. EXPANDED DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL

• Ability to build up to 110% of a previous structure’s footprint and height
• Opportunity to expand a property’s previous square footage by up to 10%
• Maintains substantially the same location while allowing modest expansion
• Qualifies for these advantages while still creating a larger home

4. EXPEDITED LOCAL APPROVALS

• Directive for all necessary permits to be issued within 30 days
• Orders local governments to establish rapid permitting processes
• Potential for pre-approved plans and permitting requirement waivers
• Dramatically reduces the typical 2-4 month local planning review

5. FULLY TRANSFERABLE BENEFITS

• All regulatory advantages transfer completely to new property owners
• Benefits are tied to the property itself, not the original owner
• No need to have owned the property during the fire event
• New buyers receive identical regulatory advantages as the original owners

COMPREHENSIVE TIMELINE ADVANTAGE

The following table illustrates the dramatic time savings available through Executive Order N-4-25:

EXPERT LEGAL CONFIRMATION

Legal experts have confirmed that Executive Order N-4-25’s benefits apply to the property itself rather than the specific owner at the time of the fire. The order specifies that these advantages apply to “properties and facilities that are in substantially the same location as, and do not exceed 110% of the footprint and height of, properties and facilities that were legally established and existed immediately before this emergency.”

INVESTMENT VALUE PROPOSITION

This rare opportunity combines:

• The acquisition price of raw land
• The development certainty of an entitled property
• A timeline advantage worth 12-24 months
• Reduced soft costs estimated at $75,000-$200,000
• The ability to develop in a coastal zone that typically has extreme regulatory barriers

TIME-SENSITIVE OPPORTUNITY

Executive orders are temporary measures designed to address emergency situations. While the order does not specify an expiration date for these rebuilding provisions, similar emergency orders typically remain in effect for 12-24 months. Taking advantage of these extraordinary development advantages sooner rather than later is highly advisable.

View the complete Executive Order N-4-25 document

For more information about development opportunities in Malibu fire-affected areas, please contact us for a detailed consultation.